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Sunday, August 3, 2014

Open Heavens Devotional for Sunday 3rd August, 2014: THE CENTRE OF A WISE FAMILY

TOPIC: THE CENTRE OF A WISE FAMILY

Memorise: Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 1 Peter 3:8

Read: 1 Corinthians 7:1-71 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. 6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. 7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. MessageA Christian home is a training ground where virtues are developed. It is a place of safety and security. It is a centre for creativity and the transmission of values such as the importance of people, the idea of love, as well as moral and spiritual values. For the survival of Christianity and the betterment of society, parents should employ godly wisdom in the number of children they give birth to. In addition, money, time and energy must be invested in training children according to the perfect will of God. Children are gifts from God as stated in Psalm 127:3:“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”Children should be trained to love God, especially from infancy to childhood. A Christian family will achieve good success when there is genuine repentance and all members avail themselves of the grace of God by spending quality time together in prayer and in the study of the word of God. The family altar is the centre of a wise family, uniting the home and building up faith (Psalm 133:1-3). It also manifests the presence of God (Matthew 18:18-20). It shows the relevance and need for God each day. It gives members of the family the opportunity for self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5). It empowers members to overcome problems within the family and makes the home a place where the Name of the Lord is honoured. Do you have a family altar at home? Note that the family that prays together stays together. You can organise the family altar by first and foremost preparing your mind to learn from God (Ezra 7:10). After this you should gather your family together. It is the responsibility of parents, especially fathers, to gather members of their families together and share the word of God with them.

A good family altar should start with a session of worship and praises. This should either be preceded or followed by a short prayer. The crux of the family altar is the word of God. All members of the family should study the word of God together. This is better done with the assistance of a devotional aid. It is important that we study the word of God together because the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:21). The Bible is also the only means of knowing how to be reconciled to God. From it, we get valuable information on what to do after you have made a start in the Christian life. It is through the Bible alone that we can know what lies ahead, what the world is coming to and what happens after death. The Holy Scripture is available to make you wise for salvation and produce the life of God within you. How strong is your family altar?

Action Point: How strong is your family altar? Do something positive about it today.Bible in a year:Matthew 23:37-25:30 ; Job 15:7-21

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Akinrinwa Akinbowale is a blogger, infopreneur, blog/web designer, researcher and an online tutor. He lives in Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria with his family. You can reach him on akinsquared2000@yahoo.com or call +2348035661205.